Analyzing Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress, and Apoptosis: Potential Role of L-carnitine

Abstract

Mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis and oxidative stress, are the interrelated events underlining the pathology of  numerous diseases including cardiovascular, neurologic, and metabolic disorders. Due to playing a critical role in glucose and fatty acids' metabolism, L-carnitine probably has the potential to adjust these unfavorable events. The present review has evolved based on existing literature that investigated the mechanisms of L-carnitine and its derivatives based mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and apoptosis related modulation. The released studies have been searched with the databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed out of which overall 76 full-length articles have been chosen and recruited in this review. L-carnitine exerts protective effects against these cellular events in several manners including the maintenance of mitochondrial functions and decreasing the production of  reactive oxygen species at different points. In clinical setting, these effects could be applied to treat a variety of associated diseases.